According to the New York Sun:
… two weeks ago, Secretary General António Guterres issued a letter. It listed those countries that were so far behind in their dues that, under Article 19 of the United Nations Charter, they couldn’t vote in the General Assembly. Iran was the second worst deadbeat, after Venezuela.
From that point it took fewer than two weeks for the Biden administration to arrange for $18 million of blocked Iranian funds to be released to the Iranians so they could pay their dues. The niceties were carried out by the South Koreans working with our own Treasury Department. It seems that Secretary Janet Yellen doesn’t have enough to do ginning up inflation. Why not grease the skids for a war in the Middle East?
The irony, Ms. Rosett points out, is that somehow the Iranians seem to have enough spondulix for resupplying weapons to the Houthis, help out Hezbollah, and take part in joint naval maneuvers with Russia and China. We’ve been told for years that the point of sanctions on Iran is to get the regime to change its behavior. If so, South Korea and the Biden administration have just helped out Iran — without changing a thing.
There’s more at the link.
I wonder how our allies in the Middle East view that? Saudi Arabia, which is fighting Iranian-backed terrorists in Yemen? The United Arab Emirates, that just a couple of days ago used US-supplied missiles to destroy incoming missiles fired by Iranian-backed enemies? Israel, which is facing open, undisguised hatred and aggression from Iran, including state propaganda showing Iranian missiles destroying an Israeli nuclear reactor?
What the hell does the Biden administration think it’s playing at? Are there any adults at home there, or are matters left to ignorant, uneducated, emotional children to dictate? Why are we paying for our openly avowed enemies, a nation that refers to us as “the Great Satan”, to participate in proceedings against our interests and those of our allies?
If you have any answers, please let us know in Comments. All I have is contempt, scorn and derision for all concerned, whether they be politicians, diplomats and administrators. If they’re so keen to support our enemies, why don’t we assign them all to Yemen, to negotiate with the Houthi rebels there and their Iranian Revolutionary Guard masters? Let’s see how successful they are in the real world, rather than the hazy, misty environs of Foggy Bottom.
Peter
Well, Barry is running the show for Joey Demento and ValJar is running Barry, so what would anyone expect but this?
Based only on the quoted part of the article, "we" didn't pay for it. Frozen Iranian funds were used, so it was their money. That said, the sanctions are a failure. I don't know if they're leaky or what, but they obviously aren't working in this case.
My question is why do we want to help Iran to be able to vote in the UN? For that matter, why are we still a part of that charade?
Why does it always seem like Americanse vs the State department. Since as long as I remember.
The State Department has been the Washington DC field office of the KGB since the 1930s.
This!!!
The CIA/intel, DOD, and FBI, are the big factions.
Re the last paragraph, "If they're so keen to support our enemies" – they ARE our enemies, they are supporting THEIR allies. "why don't we assign them all to Yemen", make that CONSIGN and I'm in.
I suspect this has less to do with helping Iran and more to do with funding the UN.
Not that I think that is very much better, mind.